U.S. Route 50 in Nevada

{{Short description|Section of U.S. Highway in Nevada, United States}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Highway detail hatnote|U.S. Route 50}} {{Infobox road |state=NV |type=US |route=50 |alternate_name=The Loneliest Road in America |map={{Maplink-road|from=U.S. Route 50 in Nevada.map}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=US 50 highlighted in red |map_alt=US 50 runs across the center of the state, between the two interstate highways, marked in blue. |length_mi=408.82 |length_ref=<ref name=smbook>{{NDOT SMBook |year=2023 |access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref><ref name=NHPN>{{cite web|author=Federal Highway Administration|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/processes/tools/nhpn/|title=National Highway Planning Network GIS data version 2005.08|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|access-date=January 20, 2008}}</ref> |established=1926 |tourist={{jct|state=NV|Lincoln|nolink=yes}} |direction_a=West |terminus_a={{Jct|state=CA|US|50}} at the California state line in Stateline |junction={{plainlist| *{{Jct|state=NV|I|580|US|395|US-Bus|395|dab3=Carson City}} in Carson City *{{Jct|state=NV|US-Alt|50|US-Alt|95}} in Silver Springs *{{Jct|state=NV|US-Alt|50}} in Leeteville Junction *{{Jct|state=NV|US|95}} in Fallon *{{Jct|state=NV|US|6|US|93}} in Ely *{{Jct|state=NV|US|93}} in Majors Place}} |direction_b=East |terminus_b={{Jct|state=UT|US|6|US|50}} at the Utah state line near Baker |counties=Douglas, City of Carson City, Lyon, Churchill, Lander, Eureka, White Pine |previous_type=NV |previous_route=28 |next_type=I |next_route=80 }} '''U.S. Route 50''' ('''US 50''') is a transcontinental highway in the United States, stretching from West Sacramento, California, in the west to Ocean City, Maryland, on the east coast. The Nevada portion crosses the center of the state and was named "'''The Loneliest Road in America'''" by ''Life'' magazine in July 1986. The name was intended as a pejorative, but Nevada officials seized it as a marketing slogan. The name originates from large desolate areas traversed by the route, with few or no signs of civilization. The highway crosses several large desert valleys separated by numerous mountain ranges towering over the valley floors, in what is known as the Basin and Range province of the Great Basin.

US 50 has a diverse route through the state, traversing the resort communities of Lake Tahoe, the state capital in Carson City, historical sites such as Fort Churchill State Historic Park, petroglyphs, alpine forests, desert valleys, ghost towns, and Great Basin National Park.

The route was constructed over a historic corridor, initially used for the Pony Express and Central Overland Route and later for the Lincoln Highway. Before the formation of the U.S. Highway System, most of US 50 in Nevada was designated '''State Route 2'''. The routing east of Ely has changed significantly from the original plans. The route change resulted from a rivalry between Nevada and Utah over which transcontinental route was better to serve California-bound traffic, the Lincoln Highway or the Victory Highway.

==Route description== US 50 crosses the central portion of Nevada, entering the west side of the state near Lake Tahoe and exiting the east side near Great Basin National Park. The route crosses mostly desolate terrain in its journey across the state; US 50 passes through several large desert valleys and basins. The highway crosses 17 named mountain passes that break up the Nevada desert. To crest some of the passes along US 50 requires navigating steep 8% grades and hairpin turns through pine forests to reach elevations of over {{Convert|7000|ft|m|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=benchmark/>

In the stretch of highway between Fallon and Delta, Utah, a span of {{convert|409|mi|km|0}}, there are three small towns: Austin, Eureka, and Ely.<ref name=Fallontodelta>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Fallon,+Nevada+to+Delta,+Utah&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=52.550571,65.126953&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=7 |title = Fallon to Delta |access-date = January 26, 2009 }}</ref> This span is roughly the same distance as Boston, Massachusetts, to Baltimore, Maryland,<ref>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Boston+Mass&daddr=Baltimore,+Md&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=40.625685,-74.04093&sspn=5.177618,6.580811&ie=UTF8&ll=40.830437,-73.839111&spn=5.16147,6.580811&t=h&z=7 |title = Boston to Baltimore |access-date =January 20, 2009 |link=no }}</ref> or Paris, France, to Zürich, Switzerland.<ref>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Paris,+France&daddr=Zurich,+Swiss&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&doflg=ptm&sll=47.115,5.756836&sspn=9.286104,13.161621&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=7 |title = Paris to Zurich |access-date =January 20, 2009 |link=no }}</ref> Traffic along US 50 varies greatly. The average annual daily traffic in 2007 ranged from 52,000 vehicles per day in Carson City, to 530 vehicles per day near the Duckwater turnoff.<ref name=AADT>{{cite web |author = Nevada Department of Transportation |url = http://www.nevadadot.com/reports_pubs/traffic_report/2007/ |title = 2007 Annual Traffic Report |publisher = Nevada Department of Transportation |access-date = February 1, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081121054335/http://www.nevadadot.com/reports_pubs/traffic_report/2007/  |archive-date = November 21, 2008 }}</ref>

In addition to portions being designated the Loneliest Road and Lincoln Highway, the portion concurrent with Interstate 580 in Carson City is designated the Carson City Deputy Sheriff Carl Howell Memorial Freeway in honor of a sheriff's officer who was shot to death while attempting to rescue a victim of domestic violence from her house.<ref>{{cite news |last = Munson |first = Jeff |url = http://www.carsonnow.org/story/12/08/2015/stretch-carson-city-freeway-officially-named-honor-deputy-carl-howell |title = Stretch of Carson City Freeway Officially Named in Honor of Deputy Carl Howell |work = Carson Now |date = December 8, 2015 |access-date = December 8, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Munson |first = Jeff |url = http://www.carsonnow.org/story/08/16/2015/carson-city-deputy-killed-line-duty-identified |title = Carson City Deputy Killed in the Line of Duty Identified |work = Carson Now |date = August 16, 2015 |access-date = December 8, 2015 }}</ref>

===Western Nevada=== US 50 enters Nevada from California as a busy four-lane thoroughfare on the shores of alpine Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada. The highway follows the eastern shore, squeezing between the lake and the crest of the Carson Range. In one narrow spot, the highway cuts through the mountains via the Cave Rock Tunnel. Eventually, the route crests the Carson Range at Spooner Summit and then descends into Nevada's capital, Carson City. Carson Street and William Street formerly carried the highway through the city;<ref name=rgjtemp>{{cite news |work = Reno Gazette Journal |title = New Stretch of Freeway Opens in Carson |date = September 25, 2009 }}</ref> however, in 2017, US 50 was moved to a freeway alignment constructed for Interstate 580.<ref name=smbook/><ref>{{cite news |first = Ben |last = Deach |date = August 2, 2017 |url = http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/New-freeway-to-save-drivers-time-in-Carson-City-438095413.html |title = Freeway Extension to Save Drivers Time in Carson City |location = Reno, NV |publisher = KOLO-TV |access-date = August 2, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:2015-10-28 14 41 39 View east along U.S. Route 50 crossing from South Lake Tahoe, California to Stateline, Nevada.jpg|thumb|right|alt=View of a rain-soaked roadway passing between tall hotel-casino buildings on either side and a traffic signal in the foreground, with signs indicating the Nevada state line at Lake Tahoe|View east along US 50 entering Stateline, Nevada, from South Lake Tahoe, California]] After Carson City, US 50 follows the Carson River towards the Lahontan Valley. This portion is also mostly four-lane, serving the commuter towns of Dayton and Silver Springs as well as passing by Fort Churchill State Historic Park and Lahontan State Recreation Area. In addition to the trails of the Pony Express and Lincoln Highway, this portion parallels the Carson River branch of the California Trail. The Carson River forms the southern edge of the Forty Mile Desert. This desert, located between the termini of the Carson and Humboldt rivers, was the most dreaded part of the California Trail, where travelers had to endure {{convert|40|mi|km}} of desert heat with no usable water.<ref name=marker>{{cite web |author = Nevada State Historic Preservation Office |url = http://shpo.nv.gov/historical-markers/26 |title = Forty Mile Desert: Nevada Historical Marker 26 |publisher = Nevada State Historic Preservation Office |access-date = February 26, 2008 }}</ref><ref name=ragtown>{{cite web |author = Nevada State Historic Preservation Office |url = http://shpo.nv.gov/historical-markers/19 |title = Ragtown: Nevada Historical Marker 19 |access-date = June 19, 2013 |publisher = Nevada State Historic Preservation Office }}</ref>

At Silver Springs, U.S. Route 50 Alternate splits from the main route. Both branches are sometimes called the loneliest road, and the promotional passport issued by the Nevada Commission on Tourism includes a stamping location at Fernley, along the alternate branch.<ref name=ncot/> The two branches rejoin west of Fallon. Fallon, home to the Naval Air Station Fallon or TOPGUN, is an agricultural community along the last usable water of the Carson River. The town is located just south of the river's terminus at the Carson Sink. Leaving Fallon, the highway passes by ancient petroglyph sites at Grimes Point and then Sand Mountain, a {{convert|600|ft|m|sigfig=2|adj=on}} sand dune.<ref name=blmsandmountain>{{cite web |author = Bureau of Land Management |url = http://www.nv.blm.gov/carson/Recreation/Rec_SandMtn.htm |title = Sand Mountain Recreation Area |access-date = March 18, 2008 |publisher = Bureau of Land Management |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080219015405/http://www.nv.blm.gov/carson/Recreation/Rec_SandMtn.htm  |archive-date = February 19, 2008 }}</ref>

===Fallon to Austin=== [[File:Shoe Tree.jpg|thumb|Shoe tree along Highway 50 Nevada in the United States]] The scenery and level of traffic changes upon leaving the Fallon area. The road narrows from four lanes to two and crosses remote terrain characterized by Basin and Range topography. The summits start out low and gradually increase in elevation. The features in the first basins include Labou Flat, a dry lake used by the US Navy for low-level flight operations, and Dixie Valley, with several visible fault scarps that resulted from the magnitude 7.1 Dixie Valley/Fairview earthquake in 1954.<ref name=usgs>{{cite web |url = https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1954_12_16.php |title = Historic Earthquakes |author = United States Geological Survey |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = March 16, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100207222609/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1954_12_16.php |archive-date = February 7, 2010 }}</ref> Dixie Valley is now a US Navy Electronic Warfare Range.<ref name=clui>{{cite web |author = Center for Land Use Interpretation |url = http://www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/v27/k.html |title = Nevada's Dixie Valley |publisher = Center for Land Use Interpretation |year = 2004 |access-date = March 18, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080414205001/http://www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/v27/k.html  |archive-date = April 14, 2008 }}</ref>

thumb|left|upright|alt=View across a desert valley with a highway proceeding straight for many miles towards the horizon and a distant mountain range|US 50 stretching across the Nevada desert The next services are in the single-building settlement of Middlegate, a roadhouse that has served as a restaurant, bar, hotel, and refueling station since the Pony Express era of the 19th century.<ref name=middlegate>{{cite web |author = Middlegate Station |url = http://middlegatestation.net/Home_Page.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080423064830/http://middlegatestation.net/Home_Page.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = April 23, 2008 |title = Middlegate Station |access-date = December 15, 2007 |publisher = Middlegate Station }}</ref> The building features Lincoln Highway and Pony Express era artifacts as well as plaques from various historical societies confirming the station is authentic.<ref name=Nevadamagazine>{{cite web |url = http://nevadamagazine.com/index.php/issues/read/sagebrush_saloons/ |publisher = Nevada Magazine |first = Shayne |last = Del Cohen |title = Sagebrush Saloons |access-date = March 13, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080226095452/http://nevadamagazine.com/index.php/issues/read/sagebrush_saloons/ |archive-date = February 26, 2008 }}</ref> The station is the modern turnoff to Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park, a preserved ghost town surrounded by Ichthyosaur fossils.

Nearby is a grove of cottonwoods, which includes a shoe tree. Patrons of the bar at Middlegate are unsure of the origin of the shoe tree; however, most believe it started sometime in the mid-1980s. A legend has formed about how a young man was traveling to Reno with his bride-to-be. When she balked and got out of the car, he threw her shoes in the tree so she couldn't get away. A reporter for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' began to study the phenomenon of shoe trees after seeing the one at Middlegate, stating to his knowledge this was the biggest in the world.<ref name=shoetree>{{cite news |work = San Francisco Chronicle |title = A Tree with Wole: That Fruit Dangling from the Branches in the Nevada Desert Is Really ... Shoes |last = Fagan |first = Kevin |date = June 4, 2002 |access-date = June 19, 2013 |url = http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/A-tree-with-sole-That-fruit-dangling-from-the-2813802.php#photo-2213561 }}</ref> It was discovered on December 31, 2010, that the original shoe tree had been chopped down, possibly by vandals. Since then visitors have started a new shoe tree with another tree in the grove.<ref name="ShoeTreeDowned">{{cite news |last = Stockwell |first = Kellene |title = Highway 50 'Shoe Tree' Cut Down |url = http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=13774854 |access-date = January 4, 2011 |newspaper = KTVN |date = January 3, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120309073703/http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=13774854 |archive-date = March 9, 2012 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://travelnevada.com/discover/40052/the-shoe-tree-of-middlegate |publisher = Nevada Division of Tourism |title = The Shoe Tree of Middlegate |access-date = January 20, 2018}}</ref>

East of Middlegate, the paths of the Pony Express, Lincoln Highway, and US 50 diverge, using different passes to cross the Desatoya Mountains. They rejoin west of Austin.<ref name=benchmark/> The first paved route of the Lincoln Highway is preserved as State Route 722.<ref name=iu>{{cite book |last1 = Patrick |first1 = Kevin J. |last2 = Wilson |first2 = Robert E. |title = The Lincoln Highway Resource Guide |publisher = Indiana University of Pennsylvania |location = Indiana, PA |pages = 214, 219 |chapter = Lincoln Highway in Nevada |chapter-url = http://www.iup.edu/geography/Faculty/LHPDF/ResourceGuide/CH16%20Lincoln%20Highway%20in%20Nevada.pdf |access-date = March 9, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060906130123/http://www.iup.edu/geography/Faculty/LHPDF/ResourceGuide/CH16%20Lincoln%20Highway%20in%20Nevada.pdf |archive-date = September 6, 2006 }}</ref>

===Austin to Ely=== [[File:LincolnhighwayNV.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Sagebrush and tumbleweed lined desert with two mountain ranges visible in the distance. In the middle of this emptiness is a solitary sign post with a red, white, and blue sign.|Lincoln Highway Sign along US 50 at Middlegate with the Middlegate shoe tree visible in the distance]] Austin lies {{convert|110|mi|km}} east of Fallon. The city, founded by Pony Express riders who discovered silver, was a mining boomtown that now describes itself as a living ghost town. In 1862, at the peak of the silver boom, Austin had a population of 10,000 people. Today, about 300 residents remain.<ref name=austincc>{{cite web |author = Austin Chamber of Commerce |url = http://www.austinnevada.com/history.html |title = History & Ghost Towns |publisher = Austin Chamber of Commerce |access-date = February 16, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090205124526/http://austinnevada.com/history.html  |archive-date = February 5, 2009 }}</ref> Perched above the town and just to the south of the highway is Stokes Castle, a long abandoned monument to a prominent eastern family with local mining interests. Passing Austin, travelers encounter hairpin turns and steep grades in the ascent up Austin Summit in the Toiyabe Range. This area is inside the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the first part of US 50 to run inside a national forest since leaving Lake Tahoe. At Hickison Summit, about {{convert|20|mi|km}} east of Austin, is the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area, a rest area and campground featuring a walking tour of petroglyphs.<ref name=benchmark/>

The next town is Eureka, which bills itself as the "Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road in America". Eureka was similarly founded as a mining boom town. Although mining has diminished, it remains a large component of the community and its economy.<ref name=ncoteureka>{{cite web |author = Nevada Commission on Tourism |url = http://eureka.travelnevada.com/ |title = Eureka, Nevada |publisher = Nevada Commission on Tourism |access-date = January 26, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081218203401/http://eureka.travelnevada.com/ |archive-date = December 18, 2008 }}</ref> The centerpiece of the historical district of Eureka is the Eureka Opera House, built in 1880.<ref name=eurekacounty>{{cite web |author = Eureka County |author-link = Eureka County, Nevada |url = http://www.co.eureka.nv.us/opera/opera01.htm |title = Eureka Opera House |publisher = Eureka County |access-date = March 13, 2008 |archive-date = March 16, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080316125614/http://co.eureka.nv.us/opera/opera01.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Past Eureka is Ely, founded as a stage coach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than booms of other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906. Though the railroads connecting the first transcontinental railroad to the mines in Austin and Eureka have long been removed, the railroad to Ely is preserved as a heritage railway by the Nevada Northern Railway and known as the Ghost Train of Old Ely.<ref name=ely>{{cite web |author = Nevada Commission on Tourism |url = http://ely.travelnevada.com/ |title = Ely, Nevada |publisher = Nevada Commission on Tourism |access-date = February 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081218203356/http://ely.travelnevada.com/ |archive-date = December 18, 2008 }}</ref> Here US 50 departs the historical routes of the Lincoln Highway, Pony Express, and State Route 2. These routes proceeded northeast towards Salt Lake City, while US 50 joins with US 6 and US 93 heading east towards the state line.<ref name=benchmark/>

===Eastern Nevada=== [[File:2014-08-09 11 17 53 View east on U.S. Routes 6 and 50 and south on U.S. Route 93 about 59.1 miles east of the Nye County line at Connors Pass, Nevada.JPG|thumb|left|US 6/US 50/US 93 crossing Conners Pass near Ely.]] Ely is the last city along US 50 in Nevada. The next city is Delta, Utah, {{convert|162|mi|km|0}} to the east;<ref name=AAA>{{cite map |author= American Automobile Association |title = Western States |edition= 1979 |year= 1979 |scale= 1:2,534,400 |publisher = American Automobile Association }}</ref> there are only two gas stations along the stretch between Ely and Delta. US 93 continues south from the junction with US 50 at Majors Place.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/loneliestroad/nevada/lon_connorspass.html |title = Connors Pass and Major's Place |publisher = Avalon Travel |work = Loneliest Road: US-50 |date = 2009 |access-date = June 24, 2013 |last = Jensen |first = Jamie }}</ref> At the Nevada–Utah border, the highway passes by Border, Nevada, with a gas station and restaurant.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/loneliestroad/nevada/lon_greatbasin.html |title = Great Basin National Park |publisher = Avalon Travel |work = Loneliest Road: US-50 |date = 2009 |access-date = June 24, 2013 |last = Jensen |first = Jamie }}</ref>

This portion of the highway is mountainous with the highest point along US 50 in Nevada at Connors Pass at {{convert|7729|ft|m|0}}.<ref name=benchmark/> This section has been designated a Scenic Byway by the Nevada Scenic Byways program.<ref name=NDOT>{{cite web |author = Nevada Department of Transportation |url = http://www.nevadadot.com/Traveler_Info/Scenic_Byways.aspx |title = Nevada Scenic Byways |access-date = May 10, 2016 |publisher = Nevada Department of Transportation |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160610190732/http://www.nevadadot.com/Traveler_Info/Scenic_Byways.aspx |archive-date = June 10, 2016 }}</ref> Listed attractions include the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park and Great Basin National Park. The highway enters Utah northeast of Baker in a remote portion of the Great Basin Desert.<ref name=benchmark/> {{Clear}}

===Mountain passes=== From west to east US 50 crosses several mountain ranges using 17 passes and one tunnel. {|class="wikitable" |- !Name !Elevation !Location !Range !Notes |- |Cave Rock Tunnel |{{Convert|6260|ft|m|0}} |Between Zephyr Cove and Glenbrook |Cave Rock (Carson Range) | |- |Spooner Summit |{{Convert|7146|ft|m|0}} |East of SR 28 |Carson Range | |- |Sand Springs Pass |{{Convert|4631|ft|m|0}} |West of SR 839 |Stillwater Range/Sand Springs Range | |- |Drumm Summit |{{Convert|4600|ft|m|0}} |East of SR 121 |Fairview Peak | |- |Westgate |{{Convert|4605|ft|m|0}} |West of SR 361 |Clan Alpine Mountains | |- |Middlegate |{{Convert|4605|ft|m|0}} |East of SR 361 |Clan Alpine Mountains |Eastgate is along an old routing of US 50, now SR 722 |- |New Pass Summit |{{Convert|6348|ft|m|0}} |Lander–Churchill County line |Desatoya Mountains | |- |Mt. Airy |{{Convert|6700|ft|m|0}} |West of Reese River |Shoshone Mountains | |- |Austin Summit |{{Convert|7484|ft|m|0}} |East of Austin |Toiyabe Range | |- |Bob Scott Summit |{{Convert|7267|ft|m|0}} |West of SR 376 |Toiyabe Range | |- |Hickison Summit |{{Convert|6546|ft|m|0}} |East of SR 376 |Toquima Range/Simpson Park Range | |- |Devils Gate |{{Convert|5990|ft|m|0}} |West of Eureka |Mahogany Hills | |- |Pinto Summit |{{Convert|7376|ft|m|0}} |East of Eureka |Diamond Mountains | |- |Pancake Summit |{{Convert|6517|ft|m|0}} |East of SR 892 |Pancake Range | |- |Little Antelope Summit |{{Convert|7438|ft|m|0}} |Near ghost town of Illipah |White Pine Range | |- |Robinson Summit |{{Convert|7607|ft|m|0}} |West of Ely |Egan Range | |- |Connors Pass |{{Convert|7729|ft|m|0}} |West of Majors Place |Schell Creek Range |Highest point along US 50 in Nevada |- |Sacramento Pass |{{Convert|7154|ft|m|0}} |Near ghost town of Osceola |Snake Range | |- |colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|''Source: Benchmark Maps: ''Nevada Road and Recreation Atlas<ref name=benchmark>{{cite map|author=Benchmark Maps|year=2003|title=Nevada Road and Recreation Atlas|edition=2003|scale=1:280,000|location=Medford, OR|publisher=Benchmark Maps|isbn=0-929591-81-X}}</ref> |}

==Cultural references== thumb|left|alt=rectangular sign with an image of a retro Highway 50 sign against a stylized blue mountain range with the words, "The Loneliest Road in America" written in a cursive font|Custom sign placed by the Department of Transportation to promote US 50 as The Loneliest Road in America. In July 1986, ''Life'' magazine published an article<ref group=lower-alpha>{{cite magazine|title=Route 50: The Loneliest Road in America|date=July 1986|magazine=Life}}{{page needed|date=August 2025}}</ref> that gave US 50 in Nevada the name "The Loneliest Road in America".<ref name=ncot>{{cite web |author = Nevada Commission on Tourism |url = http://files.travelnevada.com/guides/11300/11297/original-hwy50-issu.pdf |title = The Official Hwy 50 Survival Guide: The Loneliest Road in America |access-date = May 10, 2016 |publisher = Nevada Commission on Tourism |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160123053802/http://files.travelnevada.com/guides/11300/11297/original-hwy50-issu.pdf |archive-date = January 23, 2016 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> The article portrayed the highway, and rural Nevada, as a place devoid of civilization. Officials from White Pine County decided to make the best of the publicity generated from the article, and convinced state authorities to do the same. Jointly, they began to use the pejorative article as a platform to market the area for visitors interested in desert scenery, history, and solitude.<ref name=ncot2>{{cite web |author = Nevada Commission on Tourism |url = http://www.ponyexpressnevada.com/ponyexpress_loneliest_road.html |title = Highway 50, the Loneliest Road |publisher = Nevada Commission on Tourism |access-date = March 16, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090419140205/http://www.ponyexpressnevada.com/ponyexpress_loneliest_road.html |archive-date = April 19, 2009 }}</ref> The Nevada Department of Transportation adopted the name in official highway logs, and placed custom Highway 50 markers along the route.<ref name=ndotnames>{{cite web |author = Nevada Department of Transportation |url = http://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Traveler_Info/Maps/Nevada%20Named%20Highways%202012.pdf |title = Named Highways of Nevada |publisher = Nevada Department of Transportation |year = 2012 |access-date = June 19, 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130425163910/http://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Traveler_Info/Maps/Nevada%20Named%20Highways%202012.pdf |archive-date = April 25, 2013 }}</ref>

The Nevada Commission on Tourism sponsors a promotion where visitors can stop at several designated locations along the route and have the passport section of a state issued "survival guide" marked with a stamp representing that location. Visitors can mail in the completed passport and receive a certificate, signed by the Governor, certifying they survived The Loneliest Road in America.<ref name=ncot/> The word "survived" is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the ''Life'' article, which quoted an American Automobile Association spokesperson as saying, "We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they're confident of their survival skills."<ref name=ncot2/>

right|thumb|Sign near the Nevada–Utah state line celebrating 30 years of being designated the Loneliest Road in America Since the article was published, US 50 has gained popularity among people desiring a scenic or less traveled alternative to Interstate 80 across Nevada. This increase in popularity has caused at least one writer to dispute whether US 50 still deserves the title of The Loneliest Road in America.<ref name=sfgate>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/NEVADA-America-s-Not-So-Lonely-Road-Looking-2802263.php |title = America's Not-So-Lonely Road: Looking for Life in the Dead Center of Nevada |first = Michael |last = Dougan |work = San Francisco Chronicle |date = March 28, 2004 |access-date = February 2, 2009 }}</ref> Traffic counts on US 50 are now considerably higher than on US 6, just to the south in Nye County.<ref>{{cite web |author = Nevada Department of Transportation |url = http://www.nevadadot.com/About_NDOT/NDOT_Divisions/Planning/Traffic/2013_Annual_Traffic_Report.aspx |title = 2013 Annual Traffic Report |publisher = Nevada Department of Transportation |access-date = August 14, 2014 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082339/http://www.nevadadot.com/About_NDOT/NDOT_Divisions/Planning/Traffic/2013_Annual_Traffic_Report.aspx |archive-date = August 19, 2014 }}</ref>

The 1971 road movie ''Vanishing Point'', notable for its on-location filming across the southwest United States, used several sections of US 50 as part of the driving sequences.<ref name="gelbert">{{cite book |title = Film and Television Locations: A State-by-State Guidebook to Moviemaking Sites, Excluding Los Angeles |publisher = McFarland |year = 2002 |isbn = 978-0-7864-1293-8 |last = Gelbert |first = Doug |page = [https://archive.org/details/filmtelevisionlo00gelb/page/44 44] |url = https://archive.org/details/filmtelevisionlo00gelb/page/44 }}</ref> In 1991, Stephen King drove along US 50 as part of a cross country trip. He stopped at Ruth, a small town near Ely. Studying the town, King fantasized about the fate of the residents. King then heard a local legend about how the ghosts of Chinese miners, who died while trapped in a cave-in, can be seen crossing Highway 50 to haunt the city of Ruth. King merged these details into his own story, including references to The Loneliest Road in America, which became the novel ''Desperation''.<ref>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CneVHzqEnb4C |title = The Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of the King of Horror |publisher = Macmillan |year = 2001 |page = 416 |isbn = 1-58063-160-6 |last1 = Wiater |first1 = Stanley |access-date = March 10, 2009 |first2 = Christopher |last2 = Golden |first3 = Hank |last3 = Wagner }}</ref><ref name=wpcounty>{{cite web |url = http://www.webpanda.com/white_pine_county/historical_society/attractions/hwy_50.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080120074429/http://www.webpanda.com/white_pine_county/historical_society/attractions/hwy_50.htm |archive-date = January 20, 2008 |title = Highway 50: The Loneliest Road in America Through White Pine County, Nevada |publisher = White Pine County Historical Society |access-date = January 27, 2009 |last = Shaputis |first = June }}</ref>

In 2002, Neil Peart, then taking a sabbatical from Rush, published ''Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road'', his account of a long-distance motorcycle journey across Canada and the United States. He traveled across US 50 in Nevada, and remarked on the complete absence of any development on long stretches of the road, including a sign reading "No Services for 88 Miles."<ref name="peart">{{cite book |title = Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road |url = https://archive.org/details/ghostrider00neil |url-access = registration |last = Peart |first = Neal |publisher = ECW Press |year = 2002 |page = [https://archive.org/details/ghostrider00neil/page/130 130] |isbn = 978-1-55022-546-4 }}</ref>

In 2008, the British television show ''Top Gear'' featured the show's presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May driving across Nevada along US 50 in the cars of their choice. Clarkson stated he was "mesmerised by the straightness of the road."<ref>{{cite episode |title = Top Gear Series 12 Episode 2 (Part 2) |url = http://www.topgear.com/show/series-12/episode-2 |series = 12 |number = 2 |series-link = Top Gear (series 12) |date = 9 November 2008 |network = BBC |station = BBC Two |access-date = 2 July 2013 }}</ref>

==History== ===Lincoln Highway=== thumb|alt=highway descending into a valley with a solitary billboard and building visible in the distance|The eastern junction of US 50 and US 93 at Majors Place In Nevada, US 50 was built mostly along the route of the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway in the United States, formed in 1913.<ref name=dot>{{cite web |url = https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/lincoln-highway |title = The Lincoln Highway |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |last = Weingroff |first = Richard F. |access-date = January 21, 2009 }}</ref> Through Nevada, the route of the Lincoln Highway had been previously used by the Pony Express, an early attempt at an express mail service, started in 1860. The Pony Express used the technique of riders changing horses at stations approximately {{convert|10|mi|km}} apart to maximize speed. Many of the towns along US 50 originally served as stations along the Pony Express.<ref name=johnson>{{cite web |last = Johnston |first = Charlie |title = Pony Express |url = http://www.nevadamagazine.com/issues/read/pony_express/ |work = Nevada Magazine |access-date = September 9, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111007203831/http://www.nevadamagazine.com/issues/read/pony_express |archive-date = October 7, 2011 }}</ref> The original numbered designation of this route, which appeared on Nevada Highway maps as far back as 1919, was State Route 2.<ref name=ndot1919map>{{Cite NDOT map |year=1919 |access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref> Route 2 had an alternate branch, Route 2A, corresponding to a split in the Lincoln Highway near Fallon.<ref name=lincolnhwnv>{{cite web |author = Lincoln Highway Association |url = http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/info/nv/ |title = The Lincoln Highway in Nevada |publisher = Lincoln Highway Association |access-date = March 13, 2008 }}</ref> The main and alternate branches of Route 2 are reversed from the modern routings of US 50. Mainline Route 2, the Donner Branch, terminated at Fernley along modern US 50 Alternate. State Route 2A, the Pioneer Branch, followed mainline US 50, terminating at Carson City. State Route 2, and the Lincoln Highway, used a different routing between Ely and Salt Lake City, Utah from the modern routes. The original routing used what is now US 93 from Ely to the ghost town of Schellbourne and then dirt roads towards Tooele, Utah.<ref name=npspoex>{{cite web |author = National Park Service |url = https://www.nps.gov/poex/planyourvisit/auto_nv.htm |title = Auto Tour Route: Nevada Pony Express |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = March 13, 2008 }}</ref><ref name=practice>{{cite web |url = http://www.patricepress.com/books/580.htm |title = 1924 Map of the Lincoln Highway |publisher = Lincoln Highway Association (republished by Practice Press) |author = Lincoln Highway Association |access-date = March 13, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120216194150/http://www.patricepress.com/books/580.htm |archive-date = February 16, 2012 }}</ref> [[File:Nvclubelynv.JPG|alt=brick casino with hints of art deco style. A faded sign on the corner is a prospector with a pick axe with the words "Nevada Club" next to a vintage mechanical slot machine.|thumb|left|Downtown Ely]] In 1926, when the U.S. Highway system was announced, there was a gap in US 50 between Ely and Thistle, Utah.<ref name=1926map>{{cite map |author1= Bureau of Public Roads |author2= American Association of State Highway Officials |date= November 11, 1926 |title= United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials |url= https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_System_of_Highways_Adopted_for_Uniform_Marking_by_the_American_Association_of_State_Highway_Officials.jpg |scale= 1:7,000,000 |location= Washington, DC |publisher= United States Geological Survey |oclc= 32889555 |access-date= November 7, 2013 |via= Wikimedia Commons |name-list-style= amp}}</ref> At the time, the states of Utah and Nevada were feuding about which of the old auto trails would be paved and used for the new U.S. Highway system. Utah officials refused to pave the portion of the Lincoln Highway west of Salt Lake City. They perceived this route as being expensive to build, with no benefit for the state. Nevada officials, and the Lincoln Highway Association, pleaded with Utah authorities to change their position, even offering funds to help offset the additional cost of paving that route. However, the Lincoln highway directed travelers destined for both southern and northern California on a route away from Utah cities, towards central Nevada. Utah instead paved the Wendover Cutoff, part of the Victory Highway (modern Interstate 80), that only directed traffic for northern California out of the state.<ref name=uthisttogo>{{cite web |url = http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/120593.html |title = The Long And Winding Road—The Lincoln Highway: Utah Played A Key Role In Taming West For Cars |last = Schindler |first = Hal |publisher = State of Utah |date = December 5, 1993 |access-date = January 21, 2009 |archive-date = March 23, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090323200423/http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/120593.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> The choice not to pave the Lincoln Highway would direct travelers bound for southern California to use the Arrowhead Trail (modern Interstate 15). This route serves numerous communities in Utah, but only Las Vegas and a few other small towns in Nevada. The final blow to the original route of the Lincoln Highway was the formation of the Dugway Proving Ground, a military base used for weapons testing, which closed the area to the public. The Lincoln Highway was re-routed to Salt Lake City along a circuitous route via Wendover and the Bonneville Salt Flats.<ref name=lincolnut>{{cite book |last1 = Patrick |first1 = Kevin J. |last2 = Wilson |first2 = Robert E. |title = The Lincoln Highway Resource Guide |publisher = Indiana University of Pennsylvania |location = Indiana, PA |chapter = 15: Lincoln Highway in Utah  |page = 203 }}</ref> This route was initially numbered US 50 from Ely to Wendover and US 40/50 across western Utah, but has been renumbered US 93, US 93 Alternate and I-80.<ref name=NDOT1932map>{{Cite NDOT map |year=1932 |access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref><ref name=NDOT1978map>{{cite NDOT map |year=1978 |access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref>

===Route changes=== [[File:Middlegatenv.JPG|right|thumb|alt=Two wagons in front of a wooden building with a surrounding patio.|The Middlegate roadhouse]] Most of modern US 50 was pieced together from several routes designated as Nevada State Routes in the early 20th century. The portion from Lake Tahoe to Carson City was originally a portion of State Route 3. The original designation for US 50 from Carson City to Ely was Route 2 and 2A. East of Ely was originally numbered Route 7 to the modern junction with US 93 and Route 14 from there to the Utah state line.<ref name=NDOT1932map/> The modern route of US 50 has significantly changed since the highway was first commissioned in 1926. The biggest change is between Ely and Green River, Utah. The first contiguous route of the highway between these cities followed the modified routing of the Lincoln Highway to Salt Lake City. The highway returned to Green River along what is now numbered UT 201, US 89, and US 6. The route was changed when the more direct route between these cities (via Delta, Utah) was paved. The 1954 edition of the Nevada highway map was the first to show the new routing.<ref name=1954NDOTmap>{{cite NDOT map |year=1954 |access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref>

Previously, the road to Delta consisted of unpaved state routes. The paved route did not follow the exact route of the old dirt roads. The improved route bypassed the ghost town of Osceola and entered Utah approximately {{convert|14|mi|km|sigfig=2}} to the south of the dirt road. The border crossing was moved to facilitate an easier route across western Utah. In Utah, the old road traversed a difficult route through Marjum Canyon, while the paved route followed a simpler path along the north shore of Sevier Lake.<ref name=benchmarkUT>{{cite map |author = Benchmark Maps |year = 2002 |title = Utah Road and Recreation Atlas |scale = 1:170,000 |location = Medford, OR |publisher = Benchmark Maps |page = 57 |section = G7 |isbn = 0-929591-74-7 }}</ref>

[[File:Saltwells.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Long, straight desert highway stretching to the horizon.|Salt Wells, just east of Fallon]] Three different routes have existed between Lake Tahoe and Carson City. The original, used by the Lincoln Highway, was previously known as Johnson's Cutoff or the Carson Ridge Emigrant Road. This route, which followed Kings Canyon to scale the Sierra Nevada,<ref name=spooner>{{cite web |author = Nevada State Historic Preservation Office |url = http://shpo.nv.gov/historical-markers/261 |title = Spooner Summit: Nevada Historical Marker 261 |publisher = Nevada State Historic Preservation Office |access-date = June 19, 2013 }}</ref> was severely damaged by a flood in 1997.<ref name=flood>{{cite web |author = United States Geological Survey |url = https://nevada.usgs.gov/crfld/data_byflood_1.cfm |title = USGS Flood Chronology of the Carson River Basin |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = March 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080917222245/http://nevada.usgs.gov/crfld/data_byflood_1.cfm |archive-date = September 17, 2008 }}</ref> The U.S. Forest Service still promotes this road for its historical value, but has announced that it will no longer be maintained and travel is only recommended by foot, horse, or four wheel drive vehicle.<ref name=usfs>{{cite web |author = United States Forest Service |url = https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/htnf/learning/history-culture/?cid=fsm9_026945 |title = Kings Canyon Road |publisher = United States Forest Service |access-date = June 19, 2013 }}</ref> A portion in the lower part of the canyon inside Carson City limits was maintained by the state as Kings Canyon Road (SR 512) until 2009.<ref name=smbook/> In 1923, while still known as State Route 3, the road to Lake Tahoe was changed to follow Clear Creek Canyon,<ref name=spooner/> along a path that had been used for a series of tunnels and flumes, to transport timber from Lake Tahoe to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad depot in Carson City.<ref name=nvtrails>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LT54rVzP_RAC |pages = 174–177 |title = Nevada Trails West Region: Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails |last1 = Massey |first1 = Peter |chapter = 24: Spooner Summit Trail |isbn = 978-1-930193-15-4 |publisher = Adler Publishing |year = 2008 |last2 = Wilson |first2 = Jeanne |last3 = Titus |first3 = Angela |access-date = January 26, 2013 }}</ref> The iteration is now known as Old Clear Creek Road. Only a small portion of Old Clear Creek Road is currently maintained by the state as unsigned SR 705,<ref name=smbook/> the remainder is an access road for private residences in the canyon. The modern route, also using Clear Creek Canyon, was built in the late 1950s.<ref name=spooner/>

US 50 was rerouted through the eastern half of Fallon. The original route is not drivable as it runs through Naval Air Station Fallon; portions are still in public use as Harrigan Road (SR 115) and Berney Road (SR 119).<ref name=forgottennevada>{{cite web |author = Nevada Department of Transportation |url = http://www.forgottennevada.org/sites/lincoln_more.html |title = Fallon, Nevada |publisher = Nevada Department of Transportation |via = forgottennevada.org |year = 1934 |access-date = February 18, 2009 |archive-date = January 6, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106150703/http://www.forgottennevada.org/sites/lincoln_more.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> Around 1967, US 50 was improved between Middlegate and Austin, to bypass steep grades and sharp curves over Carroll Summit. The original route is now SR 722.<ref name=1967gousha>{{cite map |publisher = H.M. Gousha Company |title = Road Atlas |via = Broer Map Library |url = http://broermapsonline.org/online/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Southwest/gousha_ra_1967_030.html |year = 1967 |pages = 45 |access-date = January 27, 2008 }}</ref> In 2017, US 50 was re-aligned onto the completed Interstate 580 bypass, replacing its former route through downtown Carson City.<ref name=smbook/><ref>{{cite news |title = Freeway Extension to Save Drivers Time in Carson City |url=http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/New-freeway-to-save-drivers-time-in-Carson-City-438095413.html |publisher = KOLO-TV |first = Ben |last = Deach |date = August 2, 2017 |access-date= January 20, 2018}}</ref>

==Major intersections== :Note: Mileposts in Nevada reset at county lines. The start and end mileposts in each county are given in the county column. {{Jcttop|county_ref=<ref name=smbook/>|location_ref=<ref name=benchmark/>}} {{NVint |county=Douglas |cspan=5 |county_note=DO 0.000–14.601 |location=Stateline |lspan=2 |mile=0.0 |road={{Jct|state=CA|US|50|dir1=west|city1=South Lake Tahoe}} |notes=Continuation into California}} {{NVint |mile=0.639 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS>{{cite web |url=https://data-usdot.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/national-highway-planning-network/explore?filters=eyJST1VURV9JRCI6WyI3RE8iXX0%3D&location=38.967442%2C-119.931026%2C14.30 |title=National Highway Planning Network |publisher=US Department of Transportation |access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref> |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|207|dir1=east|name1=Kingsbury Grade|city1=Gardnerville|city2=Minden}} |notes=}} {{NVint |location=Round Hill Village |mile=1.9 |mile_ref=<ref name=googlemapsDO>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Lake+Tahoe+Blvd/US-50&daddr=39.101825,-119.910278&hl=en&geocode=FWp4UgIdhtTZ-A%3B&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=11&sll=39.092233,-119.928818&sspn=0.383708,0.4422&ie=UTF8&ll=39.039986,-119.926414&spn=0.191996,0.2211&z=12 |title = US 50 Douglas County |access-date = January 31, 2009 |link = no}}</ref> |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|760|dir1=west|location1=Nevada Beach}} |notes=}} {{NVint |location=Lakeridge |mile= |tunnel=Cave Rock Tunnel }} {{NVint |location=none |mile=12.106 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|28|dir1=north|city1=Incline Village|location2=Lake Tahoe – Nevada State Park}} |notes=}}  {{NVint |indep_city=Carson City |lspan=3 |type=concur |county_note=CC 0.000–15.728<br />0.000-4.097<ref group=lower-alpha>Mileposts reflect distance along I-580 where concurrent</ref> |mile=7.502 |mile2=0.000 |line=y |mile_ref=<ref name=smbook/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|US|395|dir1=south|US-Bus|395|dab2=Carson City|dir2=north|name2=S. Carson Street|city1=Minden|city2=Gardnerville}}<br>{{Jct|state=NV|I|580|dir1=begins}} |notes=Western end of freeway; western end of I-580/US 395 concurrency; mileposts reflect distance along I-580}} {{NVint |mile=3.146 |road=Fairview Drive |notes=I-580 exit 3}} {{NVint |type=concur |mile=4.097 |mile2=11.599 |line=y |road={{Jct|state=NV|I|580|dir1=north|US|395|dir2=north|city1=Reno}} |notes=Eastern end of freeway; eastern end of I-580/US 395 concurrency; I-580 exit 5; surface road continues as William Street; mileposts resume US 50 distance}} {{NVint |county=Lyon |cspan=4 |county_note=LY 0.000–35.388 |location=Moundhouse |mile=2.065 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|341|dir1=north|city1=Virginia City}} |notes=}} {{NVint |location=Dayton |mile=5.614 |road=Dayton Valley Road (SR 822 east) |notes=}} {{NVint |location=Silver Springs |lspan=2  |mile=26.8 |mile_ref=<ref>{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.209272,-119.6820232/39.3999603,-119.2689269/@39.3981247,-119.274774,15.55z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0!5m1!1e4 |title = US 50 Lyon County |access-date = April 26, 2023 |link = no}}</ref> |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|439|dir1=north|name1=USA Parkway|location1=Tahoe Reno Industrial Center|road|Opal Avenue}} |notes=}} {{NVint |mile=29.192 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|US-Alt|50|dir1=east|US-Alt|95|city1=Fernley|city2=Yerington}} |notes=}} {{NVint |county=Churchill |cspan=12 |county_note=CH 0.00–106.963 |location=Leeteville Junction |mile=11.201 |road={{Jct|state=NV|US-Alt|50|dir1=west|city1=Fernley|city2=Reno}} |notes=Proposed interchange as part of I-11 extension}} {{NVint |location=Fallon |lspan=7 |mile=15.106 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|117|dir1=east|name1=Sheckler Road}} |notes=}} {{NVint |mile=16.142 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|723|dir1=north}} – Soda Lake |notes=}} {{NVint |mile=16.391 |road=McLean Lane (SR 715 south) |notes=}} {{NVint |type=concur |mile=20.326 |road={{Jct|state=NV|US|95|dir1=south|city1=Tonopah|city2=Las Vegas}} |notes=Western end of US 95 concurrency}} {{NVint |type=concur |mile=20.571 |road={{Jct|state=NV|US|95|dir1=north|city1=Winnemucca|location2=Boise}} |notes=Eastern end of US 95 concurrency}} {{NVint |mile=21.334 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|115|dir1=south|name1=Harrigan Road}} – Naval Air Station Fallon |notes=}} {{NVint |mile=25.488 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|116|dir1=east}} – Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge |notes=}}  {{NVint |location=none |mile=52.5 |mile_ref=<ref name=googlemapsCH>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=US-50&daddr=39.296953,-117.968971&hl=en&geocode=FeTDWQIdEWLm-A%3B&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=17&sll=39.296638,-117.968863&sspn=0.005978,0.006909&ie=UTF8&z=17 |title = Churchill County |access-date = January 31, 2009 |link = no }}</ref> |road=Nevada Scheelite Mine Road (SR 839 south) |notes=}} {{NVint |location=none |mile=60.731 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS/> |road=Dixie Valley Road |notes=Former SR 121 north}}  {{NVint |location=Middlegate |mile=68.437 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|361|dir1=south|city1=Gabbs}} |notes=}}  {{NVint |location=none |mile=71.856 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|722|dir1=east}} |notes=Former US 50 east}}  {{NVint |county=Lander |cspan=3 |county_note=LA 0.00–56.740 |location=none |mile=21.331 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|722|dir1=west}} |notes=Former US 50 west}} {{NVint |location=Austin |mile=23.606 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|305|dir1=north|city1=Battle Mountain}} |notes=}}  {{NVint |location=none |mile=35.489 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|376|dir1=south|city1=Round Mountain}} |notes=}}   {{NVint |county=Eureka |cspan=2 |county_note=EU 0.00–47.340 |location=none |mile=35.337 |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|278|dir1=north|city1=Carlin}} |notes=}} {{NVint |location=Eureka |mile=37.926 |road=Eureka Mine Road |notes=Former SR 780 west}} {{NVint |county=White Pine |cspan=7 |county_note=WP 0.00–68.43<br />37.96–101.88<ref group=lower-alpha>Mileposts east of Ely reflect distance along concurrent US 6.</ref><ref name=milepostmap>{{cite map |url = http://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Traveler_Info/Maps/Milepost%20and%20Districts%202012.pdf |title = NDOT Maintenance Districts and Mileposts |publisher = Nevada Department of Transportation |access-date = June 19, 2013 |author = Nevada Department of Transportation |format = PDF |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130425124357/http://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Traveler_Info/Maps/Milepost%20and%20Districts%202012.pdf |archive-date = April 25, 2013 }}</ref> |location=none |mile=4.4 |mile_ref=<ref>{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.379375,-115.907303/39.375769,-115.8281432/@39.3746695,-115.8396142,15.3z/data=!4m5!4m4!1m1!4e1!1m0!3e0?hl=en |title = White Pine County |access-date = February 1, 2009 |link = no }}</ref> |road=Strawberry Road (SR 892 north) |notes=}}  {{NVint |location=Ely |lspan=2 |type=concur |mile=66.45 |mile_ref=<ref name=milepostmap/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|US|93|dir1=north|city1=Wells|city2=McGill}}, Twin Falls |notes=Western end of US 93 concurrency}} {{NVint |type=concur |mile=68.43 |mile2=37.96 |line=y |road={{Jct|state=NV|US|6|dir1=west|city1=Tonopah}} |notes=Western end of US 6 concurrency; mileposts reflect distance along US 6}}  {{NVint |location=Majors Place |type=concur |mile=63.483 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|US|93|dir1=south|city1=Las Vegas}} |notes=Eastern end of US 93 concurrency}} {{NVint |location=none |mile=65.6 |mile_ref=<ref name=googlemapsWP>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Great+Basin+Blvd/US-50/US-6/US-93&daddr=39.069913,-114.171724&hl=en&geocode=FS_NVgIdoj0n-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=14&sll=39.080507,-114.181595&sspn=0.050836,0.063601&ie=UTF8&z=14 |title = Ely to Baker |access-date = February 1, 2009 |link = no }}</ref> |road=Spring Valley Road (SR 893 north) |notes=}}  {{NVint |location=none |mile=93.824 |mile_ref=<ref name=NHSGIS/> |road={{Jct|state=NV|SR|487|dir1=east|city1=Baker}}, Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park |notes=}} {{NVint |location=Border |mile=101.331 |mile_ref=<ref name=smbook/> |road={{Jct|state=UT|US|6|dir1=east|US|50|dir2=east|city1=Delta}} |notes=Continuation into Utah}} {{Jctbtm|keys=concur}}

==See also== {{Portal|Nevada|U.S. Roads}} * Reno Arch, marker celebrating the completion of the Lincoln Highway in Nevada ;Other geographic features traversed by the highway * Antelope Valley (Eureka County) * Big Smoky Valley * Newark Valley (Nevada) * Snake Valley (Great Basin) * Spring Valley Wind Farm * Steptoe Valley ;Related routes * U.S. Route 50 Alternate * State Route 2B, former spur of US 50 (as State Route 2A), no longer part of the state highway system * State Route 2C, former spur of State Route 2A, no longer part of the state highway system

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book|last=McPhee|first=John|title=Basin and Range|location=New York|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|orig-year=1980/81|year=1990|edition=Paperback|isbn=0-374-51690-1|url=https://archive.org/details/basinrange00mcph_0}} (Geology of the Basin and Range written for laymen) {{Refend}}

==External links== {{Commons category|U.S. Route 50 in Nevada}} {{Wikivoyage|Loneliest Road in America|the Loneliest Road in America}} {{Attached KML|display=title,inline}} * [http://www.aaroads.com/west/us-050_nv.html AARoads: U.S. Highway 50 – Nevada] * [http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/topics/loneliest-highway/ Highway 50 Revisited: America's Loneliest Road] from the ''Las Vegas Sun'' (August 2011) * [http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/loneliestroad/nevada/lon_nevada.html Loneliest Road: US-50] by Road Trip USA * [http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/greatbasin/loneliest_road01.htm The Blue Butterfly at the end of the Loneliest Road] by Erik Gauger, Notes from the Road * [http://travelwritersmagazine.com/nevadas-lonliest-road-in-america-celebrates-20-years/ Nevada's "Loneliest Road in America" Celebrates 20 Years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614214301/https://travelwritersmagazine.com/nevadas-lonliest-road-in-america-celebrates-20-years/ |date=2021-06-14 }} Ron Bernthal, Travel Writers Magazine

{{State detail page browse|type=US|route=50|statebefore=California|state=Nevada|stateafter=Utah}} {{State detail page browse|type=NA|shield=LincolnHighwayMarker.svg|road=Lincoln Highway|statebefore=California|state=Nevada|stateafter=Utah}}

50-0 Nevada 050 U.S. Route 050 in Nevada Category:Central Overland Route Category:Transportation in Douglas County, Nevada Category:Transportation in Carson City, Nevada Category:Transportation in Lyon County, Nevada Category:Transportation in Churchill County, Nevada Category:Transportation in Lander County, Nevada Category:Transportation in Eureka County, Nevada Category:Transportation in White Pine County, Nevada